여배우
yeobae'u[jʌ̹bɛu]
The English phrase actress is said in Korean as 여배우 (yeobae'u). If unsure, use 여배우. Wiktionary also lists 여우 (yeou).
Meaning: female actor (noun)
Ways to say it
| Korean | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 여배우 | yeobae'u | [jʌ̹bɛu] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) [jʌ̹be̞u] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
| 여우 | yeou | [jʌ̹u] (SK Standard, Seoul, narrow) |
The term refers to a female actor.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 여배우 is a compound of 여 (female) and 배우 (actor).
How do you pronounce it?
yeobae'u
Did you know?
- The word 여우 can be a homonym for 'fox'. In a metaphorical sense, calling a woman a 여우 often implies she is sly or cunning in romance.
- The word 여우 is derived from the Sino-Korean characters 女 優, which literally translate to 'female' and 'excellent' or 'superior'.
- In modern Korean media, the phrase 국민 여배우 (the nation's actress) is a high honor used to describe a beloved icon.
Examples in context
- 그레타 가보는 스웨덴의 여배우이다.Greta Garbo was a Swedish actress.This sentence is useful for identifying the profession of a specific person using 여배우.Tatoeba #11105920 by intertime, translation #2030124 by Spamster
- 아카데미 여우주연상Academy Award for Best ActressThis sentence shows how 여우 is used in the context of an award title.
- 그 여자 배우 연기가 정말 인상적이었어요.That female actress's performance was really impressive.
- 유미는 유명한 여배우로서 많은 사람들을 웃게 만들어요.Yumi, as a famous actress, makes many people laugh.
- 지수 배우가 최근에 어떤 드라마에 출연했어?Which drama did Ji-soo act in recently?
- 배우들이 더 많이 알려지기 위해서는 좋은 작품에 참여하는 게 중요해.It's important for actors/actresses to participate in good works to become more well-known.
- 그 여배우는 연기를 정말 잘해요.geu yeobaeneureun yeongireul jeongmal jalhaeyo.That actress acts really well.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a movie they just watched.
- 수빈 Su-bin도현 씨, 그 영화의 여배우가 누구예요?Dohyeon ssi, geu yeonghwaui yeobaeu-ga nuguyeyo?Dohyeon, who is the actress in that movie?
- 도현 Do-hyeon유명한 여배우예요.Yumyeonghan yeobaeyeyo.She is a famous actress.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말 매력적이네요.Jeongmal maeryeokjeogineyo.She is really charming.
- 도현 Do-hyeon맞아요, 수빈 씨도 좋아할 거예요.Majayo, Subin ssi-do joahal geoyeyo.Right, you will like her too, Subin.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “actress” translations and entries 여배우, 여우, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 여배우, 여우, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
